


Hollow

by TheMysteriousStoryteller



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Existentialism, Gen, Politics, Sleep Deprivation, Starvation, Tords just kinda depriving himself of sleep and food yall know how it is, also kind of a vent story, at least the sleep part, it isnt really on purpose most of the time but this time it kinda is, those two are only a little though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 07:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20811446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMysteriousStoryteller/pseuds/TheMysteriousStoryteller
Summary: I stay empty, I feel the hunger.





	Hollow

**Author's Note:**

> Hmmmm. Don't know how to feel about this one. I don't really like it, but that's how I've been feeling with a lot of my fics. This is kind of a vent, but not really. It might not be totally in-character though so....sorry. But I still hope you guys enjoy and have a lovely day!! :3333

_ Click. Click. Click.  _

The soft sounds of various tools pressing against metal was the only thing that could be heard in Tord’s room. As usual, he was working on one of his little projects: specifically, a small robot made out of an empty can of cola that didn’t really do anything other than roll around on small wheels. Other than it being a small project for him to keep himself busy, it was also a gift for his friend, Edd. After all, cola was pretty much Edd’s lifeblood, so why wouldn’t he love a little robot made with the can of his favorite beverage?

The project was going smoothly. Everything was functioning as it was supposed to, and Tord’s stomach had even stopped that annoying growling that it had been doing all night! Allegedly, nothing should go wrong. And, by all means, it didn’t.

But that wasn’t how Tord saw it. 

On the final test, the robot performed with flying colors. Its only purpose was to roll around, after all; how could that fail? But to Tord, it wasn’t good enough. It was too clunky, too simplistic. He could do better. He  _ would  _ do better. 

The process repeated. The small clicks resumed as Tord worked well into the night, ignoring the incessant growling of his stomach that had resumed. After a few hours had past, the next test began. 

A sharp gasp left Tord as he saw the robot roll forward a centimeter or two before it just...stopped. Tord blinked and walked over to it, sitting down next to it and picking it up. He tilted it back and flicked the switch on the back to turn it off. He then turned it back on, but the wheels stayed still. He bit his tongue and hissed softly.

His stomach growled. He shook his head, stood up, and sat back at his desk, setting the robot down to inspect it further. The tinkering resumed.

Another test began, which stopped only when the robot somehow lost its balance and fell. Tord gritted his teeth and swiftly picked the robot up. He made sure not to make a sound, for he was well-aware that the others were more than likely asleep, and he didn’t want to sit through another one of their lectures about how he should sleep more. How could he sleep, anyway? There was so much work to do. 

Though, he had to admit that his body was severely suffering for it. His hands and wrists ached, and his back felt tight from sitting in one position for so long. Not to mention, he hadn’t eaten since...what? This morning, when Edd made bacon? That sounded about right. He clenched his fist, cringing as he heard his fingers crack. He hated to give in, but a short five-minute break would probably help him. Tord set the robot down on his desk and slowly leaned back, flopping onto his bed. It made a small creak on impact, but he felt it rise a little against him. As he stared at the ceiling in silence —he had forgotten to put some music on due to how immersed in his project he was—he began to grow a little pensive. 

Life had been cruel to him, hadn’t it? Every possible bad thing that could’ve happened did happen, and yet here he was. He had friends, and a home, and easy access to basic necessities. He couldn’t say he had the same ten years ago. Although, it didn’t feel like it was enough. He wanted  _ more _ . He wanted to get back at whatever entity had cursed him with a miserable adolescence, but alas, that was impossible. 

Tord pursed his lips, his hands locking over his still-growling stomach. Unless...what if life  _ wasn’t _ what was cruel to him? Surely, there had to be some sort of reason other than just bad luck. After all, he wasn’t alone. There were  _ other  _ kids in those orphanages; there were other people out there that were still suffering at the hands of...what? He clicked his tongue. The answer seemed so simple, yet so complicated. 

The world was cruel. And that cruelness seemed to always come back to corrupt nature of the humans that ran it. Sleazy businessmen and women who would do anything to make money and perpetuate the falsely-claimed “best” ideology of capitalism; corrupt leaders who don’t care about their people and only push forth their own agenda; companies that exploit those that work for them, only to underpay them and not even allow enough money for them to live a decent life. It was all terrible—all unfair.

Tord quickly sat up and shook his head, unlocking his hands to run one through his hair. God, what was he even doing? Here he’d been, building pointless little robots that only exist to make his friends happy, yet he could be using his talent for something more! He  _ knew  _ that he was capable of doing so; everyone had always spoke about how he was “destined for great things”. Why didn’t he ever  _ do anything  _ with that potential? He slid out of bed and looked out of his window. The originally black sky had become a dark blue, signalling the morning would be coming soon. He turned and looked at the small robot, his lips pursing again into a straight line. He went over to the machine and sat in front of it. He couldn’t keep making small, dumb stuff like this. He should be doing more. He should be doing  _ better _ . He got through so much shit, and goddamn it, he was going to make the most of the time he had left. 

Through the next few hours, Tord worked relentlessly on the robot. He repainted it, gave it better wheels and a better engine, and made sure that it worked without flaw. And, though it could have more work done on it, Tord felt that it was good enough to give to Edd. 

He stood up from his chair, his eyes widening as his back let out a massive crack. Covering his mouth, he let out a groan as everything else in his body subsequently cracked. He manually cracked his knuckles and his neck before picking the robot up and opening his door. 

By this time, the sky was a bright blue and fluffy white clouds slowly moved about. Tord could hear noise from the kitchen, and he prayed that it was the person that he was looking for. 

Sauntering toward the kitchen, he caught a man in a green hoodie rummaging through the fridge before pulling out a cola. 

“Hey, Edward,” Tord greeted Edd from behind, making Edd jump and let out one of his monotonous yells that always made the others snicker. 

“Ahhh!—oh, hey Tord,” Edd greeted back once he had finished his yell. “You startled me.”   
  
“I could tell.” Tord set the little robot down on the kitchen table. “Anyway, I made this for you.”   
  
“Huh?” Edd leaned down, setting his cola down to poke the robot. Instead of the can having its signature red color, Tord had painted it green to match Edd’s aesthetic. However, the logo still remained, which made Edd crack a small smile. “You made this for me? What’s it do?”   
  
“Oh, just...roll around.” Tord cringed a little on the inside as he realized how much time he put into something that barely did anything. However, when he saw chocolate-brown eyes light up, his thoughts were cut off. 

“Cool! Is it like, remote-controlled, or…?” Edd looked at him. Tord cleared his throat and stepped over to the table. 

“Er...there is a switch on the bottom.” Tord picked it up and tipped it backward to show Edd the bottom. There was indeed a small switch. “You just flick it, and...it goes.” 

“Wooooah…” Edd breathed out. He gently grabbed the robot from Tord’s hands and flicked the switch on, bending down to set it on the floor. With a small whirr, it began to roll smoothly along the hard tiles. Ringo, who was standing at Edd’s feet, stared at the robot for a bit before crouching down and raising her behind up in the air, wiggling a little. Edd gasped and picked the robot up before Ringo could pounce. With a sheepish smile, Edd flicked the switch again, turning it off. “This is, uh...really cool. Thanks, Tord.”   
  
“Ah…you are welcome” Tord’s cheeks flushed red. “And, thank you. It isn’t much, I know, but…”   
  
“C’mon, don’t sell yourself short.” Edd set the robot down and picked up his real can of cola, cracking it open and taking a sip. “This is really cool.”

“Er…” Tord nodded, though he couldn’t find it in himself to agree. “I’m...going to go back to my room.”

“Okay.” Edd snapped his fingers. “By the way, me and the others are going fishing later. You should come with us.” Then, in a more humorous tone, he added on, “a little sunlight wouldn’t kill you.”

“Alright…” Tord gritted his teeth a little, but managed to keep his tone even. So much for working all day. It looked like he’ll just have to make up for it with another sleepless night. 

“See you then.” With another sip of his cola, Edd picked up his robot and walked off, Ringo trailing behind him. Tord let out a sigh and walked back to his room. When he walked in he glanced at his desk with the scrap metal parts and tools scattered on top of it. His lips curled upward into a slight smile. 

Today would begin a new age. 


End file.
